Storm
by Alamandorious
Summary: 20 years after Ace Combat 5, the world is at peace. Now, the daughter of Blaze & Nagase takes to the skies on a mission of a different sort. With no more war, the young woman won't experience the same pain as her parents...or will she?
1. Chapter 1

**Storm**

**A fanfiction by: **Alamandorious

**Notes before reading:** This fanfiction is a continuation of my previous fanfic, Dark Skies, and uses the alternate-ending scenario in that fanfic. Hense, Blaze died while preventing the SOLG from hitting Oured. Your best bet is to read Dark Skies before even reading this fic. The prologue, this chapter, is written in the same style as Dark Skies; later chapters will be written differently.

That being said, please enjoy.

**Prologue:** Visiting your grave.

Has it really been twenty years? Twenty years...time flies when you're busy, I guess.

I know I come to your grave every year, to tell you how things are going and how we're doing. But this year is different...this year, our daughter graduates from flight school. Yes, it's that time...she inherited your abilities, and is graduating at the top of her class. The ceremony is tomorrow, and it's easy to see how excited she is.

I'm so proud of her...she's going to make an excellent pilot. She's already had several offers from different private jet companies, from carrying time-sensitive cargo to carrying rich passengers...so many choices, so much better than the military. They still have a hand in the training programs, though...though they mostly hire pilots for weather surveillance and the occasional air show.

I'm hoping she'll take one of the civilian offers...they're incredibly good money-wise, and they'll provide her with a stability that will last long into her life. Somehow...though...somehow I think she'll sign up with the military. She wants to fly the smaller, single-person jets...and only the air force can offer her that.

But that's alright...the world is at peace, and has been all these years...she won't see combat like we did. She won't know the horror of killing, the fear and the anxiety...she won't risk losing the love for the sky, like I did. She'll only know the joy of soaring through the clouds, rising to the beautiful blue heights, and seeing how small the world really is.

As for me...despite not getting the same joy I used to, I'm still flying...I'm still instructing at that civilian airfield, teaching people how to use single-engine prop planes. They're not as sleek, fast, or as manuverable as the jets we flew...but I find they have a charm on their own, especially since I'm far to young to remember them being used in combat. For me, they're the only plane I can get into without remembering...the pain.

Grimm, as you know, teaches at the big flight school. Osea Air Academy, the one our daughter is graduating from. Blaze...how she hates that name, always complaining it makes her sound like a boy...didn't get assigned to his class, since he's a close family friend. His wife and children are doing well as well, the oldest is taking his first year of business in University, while his youngest is just entering her final year of highschool.

Snow retired from active duty this year...said he got tired of sitting behind a desk all day. He didn't like being promoted to Colonel that much, since he ended up in an office job instead of flying. He was one of the last officers with actual combat experience...one of a dying breed. I wonder sometimes if it's a good thing that most of the people in the military now don't know the horrors of war first hand. But surely, they learned enough in school to avoid it? His wife and son are also doing well, and seem happy that he's finally going to be able to take it easy.

We still all get together on occasion, and remember the good times. Sometimes Captain Bartlett...sorry, Jack now...swings by every now and then. We all joke sometime that, if a war ever broke out again, he'd have to change his callsign since he managed to marry that Yuktobanian Major he had fallen in love with. Jack and his wife will be at the graduation ceremony, too...they're flying in from Yuktobania for it.

There...really isn't much more to say. I still feel a knawing feeling inside of me every day, knowing you're not here...I miss you so much...but our daughter and friends help to keep the pain away, and give me joy in living. I love you, and I know that someday I'll see you again...

Until then, my love.

**End Prologue**


	2. Chapter 2

**Storm**

**A fanfiction by Alamandorious.**

**Chapter 1:** Graduation

_Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach._

**Oured, Osea, 2031**

Bright morning sunlight peeked in through the blinds, shining down upon a mass of sheets in the centre of a bunk. Various bottles of alcohol, all empty, lay scattered over the floor. Another bunk, on the other side of the room, was made to perfection...the person who slept in it obviously having gotten up awhile ago. On the nightstand next to the messier bunk, an alarm clock was buzzing intently, trying to rouse the sole occupant of the room with all its might.

A faint, feminine groan escaped from underneath the mass of sheets and a firm, smooth arm snaked its way out and grasped the alarm. It switched off the buzzer and pulled the little device back under the sheets with it. For a few moments, all ways silent...the sound of birds in the tree right outside the window faintly making their presence known, indicating that it was a little less than soundproof.

"HOLY SHIT! I'M GONNA BE LATE!" came the startled scream as a figure bolted upright in the bunk, dislodging the sheets that had formerly been covering her body. This was followed immediately by the young woman clutching her head and moaning,"Oh, my head...I'm going to get Ronda for this...damn party girl..."

The female swung her shapely legs out over the bed and planted them firmly on the ground, running a hand through her moderate-length blonde hair before staggering to her feet. She glanced over at the closet, tempted to simply dress in the clothes she had thankfully set aside last night, but another glance at the clock indicated she had just enough time for a quick shower to rinse away the stench of alcohol...at least, she hoped she did.

"At least she could've woken me up, dumb bitch," she snarled, half-heartedly, as she swiftly grabbed a white towel hanging from a hook on the rooms' door and a bottle of shampoo from the drawer of her nightstand before heading out to the communal shower. The young woman was tempted to simply run, but one thing her mother HAD managed to drive into her skull was that most accidents happened when you rushed. Instead, she settled for a swift walk to her destination.

-----------------------------

"Well Miss Nagase, I starting to wonder if you'd honour us with your presence today," said the stately looking middle-age man as the somewhat out of breath young woman made her way to the fitting room, or rather a small classroom converted into an impromptu fitting room,"Don't worry, you arrived with a few moments to spare; you can get to the end of your procession before they head out."

"I'm sorry Mr. Schnare. I overslept," she replied, somewhat meekly with an embarrassed smile on her lips.

The man looked at her through his glasses, raising an eyebrow,"You seem to be a little bit pale...I certainly hope you weren't consuming alcohol in the dorms last night..." he said, a hint of mirth in his eyes as he stepped back and indicated one of the curtained booths,"Your gown is ready...your roomate, Miss. Coleman said you might be a bit late."

"Thank you!" she said, quickly stepping by and entering the booth to avoid any further embarrassing questions. She knew he knew about the party...it was hard not to, what with most of the dorm rooms on her end of the building temporarily becoming public property and co-ed for a good part of the night.

It didn't take long for her to put the gown on...it was a simple matter of throwing the dark blue material on over her normal clothes, and putting the graduation cap on her head. Once it was all on, she practically flew out of the dressing booth, going against her earlier calm and rushing out the door. Mr. Schnare stopped her, however, stepping in front of her path and holding up a hand.

"Now now, this won't do at all. You're an honour student here...you can't step out looking as if you simply threw your gown on," he said, patiently, as he reached out and made a few minor adjustments to her garb,"There...much better. Now you look presentable, as if you had a little bit of pride in your accomplishments," he said, raising his head slightly and smiling in genuine warmth,"Miss. Nagase...Blaze...your mother must be so proud of you."

"Thank you, Mr. Schnare," she replied, smiling slightly,"I'm going to miss learning under you. You made the lessons so easy for us to learn..."

He raised his index finger, waggling it slightly,"Ah ah ah...I don't take flattery very well," he said, before stepping out of the way,"Go now. Your friends are waiting for you."

Nodding once and flashing a bit of a grin, Nagase Blaze left the fitting room. The teacher, Mr. Schnare, watched her go with a slight shake of his head. Heading back into the room he walked over to the window and looked up into the blue sky, a distant look on his face.

"I'm sure your father is proud of you, too...if only he were here to see you graduate," he murmured, before sighing and turning his back to the window,"You have his talent...it wasn't that I made the lessons easy...you just took to them swiftly, far more swiftly than anyone else in the class."

-------------------

Nagase, walking swiftly down the tiled floors of the hall, barely took note of her surroundings. The building she was in was old, older than some of the other buildings in the Academy. Most of the students dreaded getting stuck in the worn old building, preferring some of the newer, modern dorms that -weren't- directly attached to some of the main class areas. The building was sometimes drafty, and had many areas where the paint was faded or chipped...but the young woman didn't care. She was one of the few to select it; she felt it had more character than the others, and hoped that some of the energy from the past classes of pilots would rub off on her. It was also the same dorm her mother had stayed in, back when it was purely a military institution.

As she got closer and closer to her objective, she could hear the crowd outside, the rich sounds of the orchestra hired to play for the event barely audiable over the noise. She slowed her pace somewhat, taking note of her location. The hall was lined with pictures from classes past...all the way back to the first Belkan war. Many of the pictures had small purple marks underneath...graduates lost to war. She paused for a moment, spotting her mother's portrait. Many people thought her mother had been trained at Sand Island...the truth was, that was the final place for military pilots to receive polishing on the theory and skills they had acquired here. It was where the good pilots got weeded out from the bad in a final process. But here...here was where the training had started.

Shaking her head, she quickened her pace once more, spotting the end of the procession up ahead, most of the way down the hall. Nagase was glad that there was no more war...although a part of her yearned for the joy of flying a single-person jet, soaring faster and higher than any civilian jet would ever let her. The military, or what could be considered the military now, had approached her several times in an attempt to bring her into their ranks.

The airforce was mostly used for studying the weather, or helping out with the occasional forest fire. The army handled natural disasters, and did peacekeeping in some of the smaller countries that had yet to fully stabalize. The navy was all but combined with the coast guard for search and rescue operations. All the big warships had been mothballed gradually over the years, and all the small ones like frigates and gunboats had been disarmed and regulated to search and rescue.

And, of course, the airforce still did airshows, and they were always looking for stunt pilots. That interested her, but there was more money to be made in civilian careers. Add to the fact that her mother kept pushing her towards something civilian related, and away from the airforce...she kept wondering why her mother would push her away from the same career she had had...maybe it had something to do with the Osea/Yuktobania war that ended a little while before she was born.

Her musings were interupted by her friend, Ronda, poking her in the forehead,"You were zoned out again, you nearly ran into me," she said with a smirk, before crossing her arms underneath her chest,"We were wondering if you were going to join us; Jerry and Garett are further up the line."

"And why the hell didn't you wake me up? I nearly overslept!" Nagase replied, crossing her arms and mock-scowling at her jokester friend.

"Because I knew you'd wake up on time...doesn't matter how much you drink, girl, your internal clock always wakes you up at the same time."

Nagase sniffed, looking away with partly closed eyes,"I wanted to really primp myself up for this; now I look like I'm just heading to an every-day class..."

Ronda shook her head, giggling a bit,"It's just your graduation ceremony, it's not like you're going to meet up with a cute guy..."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?"

Before the conversation could go any further, a single chime rang out down the hallway, indicating it was time for the procession to start moving out. As the line of graduates made their way out into the sunlight beyond the door, Nagase turned to her friend,"We'll talk about that last comment, later...right now, let's just enjoy this day, right?"

"Right!"

Blaze was nearly blinded by the light, the after-effects of the alcohol causing her to groan slightly because of the brightness. The desire to look proper, and the excitement about the event kept her from embarrassing herself. She smiled when she saw just how many people were at the event, cheering her and her classmates on...parents, friends, family, even staff from some of the local airfirms. As her vision swept over the large courtyard, she spotted her mother standing next to Professor Grimm, Jack, and Marcus. She refrained from waving to them as the procession filed into the seats pre-arranged for them, set somewhat apart from everyone else in the middle of the courtyard. Nagase just smiled, the euphoria of success washing over her body. It was a good day indeed...

-----------------------

Nagase, Snow, Grimm, and Bartlett all stood on a balcony, watching the procession take place below. The three men were dressed in formal suits; Bartlett and Snow in dark blue, Grimm in a dark brown. Nagase herself wore a yellow sun dress and a white, wide-brimmed hat. When questioned by her three friends earlier, she had simply said it was too hot a day to wear a stuffy formal dress, to which there was much good-natured grumbling. All of them had aged over the years; Bartlett and Snow had many grey streaks in their hair and their skin had taken on a slightly weathered quality. Grimm had aged as well, but had a much younger appearance than the other men...being at least 15 years younger than Marcus, and 23 years younger than Jack. And Nagase...

Nagase had hardly changed since the end of the war, so many years ago. Only a few tiny rinkles at the outermost corners of her eyes showed she wasn't still in her late twenties. Not even a hint of grey marred her beautiful black hair, kept as short as she had always kept it while being a pilot.

"She looks pretty excited about this, doesn't she Kei?"

Nagase Kei didn't take her eyes off of her daughter, but nodded to Grimm's question,"She should be...aviation is one of the hardest thing in this world to learn properly."

"She did learn it, and learned it well. At least she won't have to learn the same skills we did at Sand Island," Hans added, tugging slightly at the suit he wore,"I really hate wearing this thing, it feels worse than our old uniform did."

Jack chuckled, shaking his head slightly,"We all spent so much time in uniform that I'm surprised you guys even remember how uncomfortable they were when you first put 'em on."

Marcus grinned at the other three,"I guess carrier pilots had it easy then. My uniform was -always- comfortable."

Nagase crossed her arms and smirked,"Oh really? Last time we were all at that former-airforce gettogether, I remember hearing you telling your wife that for the first few days you had to wear the uniform you had a bad rash on the back of your neck because of the tags..."

The other two men laughed while Marcus looked embarrassed,"You don't miss much Kei, do you?"

The woman nodded, smiling widely,"Nope."

The four friends fell silent as the Dean of the Academy took his place at the podium and began his speech. Nagase noted that it was almost identical to the one used at her graduation so many years ago. For a moment, she was swept up by her memories...she saw herself in her daughters place, listening intently to the Deans' speech, her friends and classmates surrounding her. On the opposite side of the aisle from her class sat another class, each student listening as intently to the speech as her...one in particular caught her eye and she almost choked, her eyes welling up for a moment.

"Nagase? Kei! Are you alright?" came a voice, and suddenly she snapped back to reality as a hand fell gently on her shoulder.

"I'm...I'm alright...I was just remembering...from when I was here," she replied to Grimm as she wiped away the unshed tears from her eyes.

As she looked back over the crowd, she saw the classes as they were...she fixated on the spot she had looked at before, and saw a female student in place of the male one she had remembered...for a brief moment, she had seen...him.

---------------------

Kei, Hans, Marcus and Jack weren't the only ones with their eyes on Blaze. Standing on the opposite side of the courtyard upon the balcony of one of the newer buildings were two men, one dressed in an Osean airforce major's uniform, the other in a black suit. The man in the suit removed his thin-framed glasses and gently rubbed the lenses with a cloth. The Major looked over at the man, his expression almost unreadable.

"You're certain she's got what it takes, Manfred?" he asked, briefly removing his cap to run a hand through his sweat-soaked blonde hair,"She's got the marks, sure, but the desire? She's turned down every attempt we've made to recruit her."

The other man replaced his spectacles on his face, his own bald head glistening slightly in the sunlight,"Mmm. We're sure. Her pedigree," he nodded across to Kei,"aside, you just haven't been allowed to tempt her with the right bait. I'm here because you need the clearance, and I'm one of the few people that can give it."

The Major turned his attention back to the crowd, focusing completely on the young woman in question,"The project needs pilots. Good ones, ones we can be sure won't waste the money we've put into it. Her mother...and most importantly, her father seem to have passed down their latent talent for aviation to her...if such a thing exists. Maybe when you give her all the details..."

"Come now, Johnathan," laughed Manfred lightly, turning his full attention to the man beside him,"Do you honestly think she'll trust someone like me? Her mother was Airforce, so she's more likely to trust you. I'm just going to be sitting back and let you do all the talking...your face is much more honest than mine."

"I suppose that's true," Johnathan replied, his lips cracking into a grin,"I only trust you because I know you...you don't lie, you just dodge questions you can't answer."

"Ahhh, my secret is discovered. Just don't tell anyone in my office; they'd eat me alive."

The two men briefly shared a chuckle, before falling silent for a few minutes. As the Dean finished his speech, and the classes stood in in preparation to ascend to the stage to receive their diploma's, Manfred turned towards the doorway.

"Well, I'll be down in the room waiting. Bring her along when you can."

-----------------------

Nagase stepped down from the stage, her face flushed slightly with triumph as she clutched her diploma to her chest. She quickly joined her friends and classmates, who were mostly milling about and quietly talking to one another as they waited for the presentations to finish. She joined her friend Ronda, who was already talking with Jerry and Garett in excited whispers. When they noticed Blaze's approach, Garett grinned slightly and clapped her on the back.

"Congrats sleeping beauty! You managed to wake up in time for the grad!"

Nagase grinned punched him in the shoulder, causing him to take a step back,"You're certainly no Prince Charming, so a girl has to wake herself up," she retorted, before looking over at the grinning Jerry,"Don't laugh at him, 'cause you're even worse."

"Oh, my wounded pride! Surely there must be a fair maiden that can sooth my shattered soul!" Jerry replied, clutched his chest dramatically and leaning against Ronda, who promptly stepped back a step and let the poor man nearly fall.

"Don't look at me! I agree with Blaze on that one," she snickered, before glancing over at her friend,"So hun, how does it feel to be top in the class, if not the whole school?"

Blaze paused for a moment, her expression one of deep thought...the illusion of serious consideration was shattered by her constantly up-twitching lip corners. Finally, she succumbed to the smile trying to burst out and did so broadly,"Good...really good. I'll have my pick of jobs," she then raised her head slightly, taking on a mock-snobbish look,"I suppose I'll have to find friends that can keep up with me now."

The other three were about to retort when they were shushed by a few of their classmates. They realized they must've started getting too loud...fortunately, they hadn't been loud enough yet to attract the attention of the crowd. The four fell silent, looking slightly sheepish. A few moments later, Nagase felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she came face to face with an airforce Major, one whom she recognized almost instantly.

"You're not going to try again, are you Major?" she sighed, tiredly, as her three friends and a few of her classmates stared on quizzically.

The man smiled,"How'd you guess? I've got to try at least one more time before you get snapped up by some civilian firm."

Blaze rolled her eyes,"Do you really have to do this here? I'm kind've in the middle of something right now," she murmured, indicating the other graduates around her.

Johnathan shook his head, stepping aside and indicating the dorm building behind him,"No, not here. I wouldn't want to disrupt this event. I've got a room set aside for recruiting inside...and I promise, one way or the other, you'll be back out in time for the last hurrah."

The young woman nodded,"Fine...because if I miss this, I'll never let you live it down," she replied, striding towards the doorway of the indicated building.

The Major nodded to the rest and stepped into place behind Blaze, following her into the building with a measured pace.

--------------------------

She was surprised to see someone else in the room. A thin, well-dressed, but balding man with glasses was sitting in a chair directly in front of the dry-erase board. He smiled in a friendly manner towards her, tipping his head politely to her as she entered. Johnathan stepped into the room a moment later, closing the door behind him, further sealing away the noise from outside.

"What's going on? I thought this was another recruitment attempt..."

"It is, Miss. Nagase, it is," said the main in the chair, nodding his head once again,"But this time, my good friend Major Thompson will be allowed to tell you -exactly- what you're being recruited for," he added, before raising an eyebrow,"I should also tell you that, at least for another month, what you're about to hear is a secret held by the highest levels of government worldwide. This is not something for civilian ears...not yet. Johnathan, if you would...?"

The Major cleared his throat,"As you know, an asteroid struck the Usea continent thirty two years ago, causing massive devastation to that land. It has only recently returned back to its pre-impact levels in commerce and industry. At first, the project 'Stonehenge' was envisioned and made a reality to protect the world from further impacts. As you know, this triggered a war that swept the Usea continent for over a year, causing even more devastation and loss of life. It has since been determined that no one country should have control over a weapons platform of that scale, hence the creation of the International Space Station. As you know, this station is crewed by a crew divided equally amongst the countries of this world, hence precluding any chance of one country gaining control of it," he paused to take a breath, before continuing,"However, this one station isn't enough to completely erase the chance of further impacts...and building the other two stations will take a great deal of time due to the resources involved."

Blaze raised an eyebrow,"This is all very interesting, but what does this have to do with me?"

Manfred leaned forward, staring the young woman in the eyes,"I think, Johnathan, I will continue from that point," he said, his voice completely serious,"Osea, along with every other country in the world, has developed a stop-gap...a measure that we as an international community intend to field against any future threats from space. It's called 'Project Shield'...a new fighter aircraft built completely with new technology researched and produced by every country on Earth. It is a strato-fighter, meaning it can climb far beyond what conventional aircraft can. These fighters attack an incoming asteroid at high altitude in a flight of thirty-two, chipping away at the invader until it is cut down to a safer size. We intend to reveal it to the public in a months time, at the celebration marking the end of the Osea/Yuktobania war of 2010."

"We want you to be one of the first pilots of this craft."

--------------

A feeling had been bothering Nagase Kei for several minutes now. A nagging, worrisome feeling as if something...something dramatic were about to occur. Her gut instinct told her to seek out her daughter, and so she had left her three friends on the dorm balcony to head down to the courtyard proper. When she arrived, she spotted her daughters' closest friends and swiftly made her way through the congregation of students to their location. Ronda spotted her arrival and waved, drawing the attention of the two males beside her.

"Hi Ms. Nagase!" she said once Kei was within earshot.

"Hello Ronda. Didn't I tell you you could call me Kei?"

"Sorry..."

"Don't worry about it," Nagase said, before growing a bit serious,"Where's Blaze? I haven't seen her since she left the stage...this spot was blocked a bit by another balcony."

"Oh, some airforce major came to try and recruit her again," she pointed back at the other dorm with her thumb,"They went in there so they wouldn't disturb everyone. He'd better get her back out here soon, the end is almost here and she promised to make his life a living hell if he made her miss it."

"Thanks Ronda," replied Nagase as she hurried towards the building, alarm bells ringing in her head now,'Surely she wouldn't...she's already refused so many times...' she thought, trying to calm herself down. Even though the risk was minimal, she didn't want even a small chance that her daughter would have to go through the same experiences as she had.

She practically burst through the doors, only to spot Blaze and the Major down the hall, shaking hands. She could hear the Major's voice as he smiled and spoke to her daughter, echoing down the well-polished corridor.

"Glad we finally managed to pursuade you. Report to the Oured International Airport for 0800 hours in two days. Someone will meet you there and take you to the charter flight to the training facility."

"Oh...and welcome to the Airforce, Miss. Nagase."

---------------------------

**Somewhere under the Razgriz straits, at roughly the same time...**

The four old men sat in the darkened room, looking over reports from the previous year, ranging from production to astrological, in absolute silence. The fine Belkan oak table they sat around showed signs of age, and there were several empty seats...but they paid little attention to such details. Finally, one by one they placed the papers on the table.

"It is nearly time...another month and a half..."

"Yes, when asteroid 034:217, otherwise known as 'Hades', will pass within 300,000 kilometres of our planet."

"The international space station has been successfully sabotaged...it will explode brilliantly, a bright flash in the sky to signal the start of our plans..."

"We will keep their resources tied up in the coming war, while we direct Hades down to Earth...down to the nation of Osea."

"But...this will be our last chance at revenge, and at taking over the planet," said the first one, looking at the other three,"We can't afford to fail this time around. For the future of Belka, we cannot fail a third time."

"Don't worry...the military might of Osea and Yuktobania, and indeed of every country in the world, has waned considerably these last twenty years...they will be fully incapable of handling a real military force...the force we have been building in secret these last few years."

One of the men stood and walked over to a large, highly-detailed globe that sat at the rear-centre of the room. Pulling a dagger out from a hidden sheeth within the sleeve of his coat, he stabbed the continent marked as 'Osea',"They will be the first to feel the wrath of the Grey Men. South Belka will be liberated from them once and for all," he muttered, turning to regard his fellows once more,"In a month and a half, we will commence our operations. It will take at least 6 months for the asteroid to fall to Earth...we have to hold out until that happens, no matter what."


	3. Chapter 3

**Storm**

**A fanfiction by:** Alamandorious

**Author's Notes:** Thank you for your reviews. I'd also like to thank those that reviewed my previous fanfic, Dark Skies. I always meant to give my thanks, but never really got the chance. I hope that any of you reading this fic will enjoy it as much as you did the other. Also, I did a bit of research, and my fic is nearing the timeline of AC3...as it stands, this fic is now AU, as I've never played AC3 (unfortunately), and I didn't quite like the direction its story took. I'm certain that it was a fun game, but I have to take a bit of creative license ;)

Also, for this chapter, remember that I'm basing Blaze (the original) off of the yes/no choices I made during the game, and I'm going to say that he and Nagase graduated from the same flight school before heading to Sand Island to complete their training.

**Chapter 2: **Memories & Destinations

_The only people that know the true value of peace are those that have lived through wars._

Blaze yawned slightly, peering out blearily at the clouds below. The seats in the small passenger jet were comfortable...maybe a little too comfortable, as the flight had rapidly become boring shortly after takeoff. The few other people with her in the cabin were trying to keep themselves occupied, some by reading while others listened to the in-flight music. One, the man next to her, had even fallen asleep...and she felt that she was going to do the same. The only reason she forced herself to stay awake was that she was curious to see where they were heading...but due to a thick cloud cover, all she could see was a sea of white.

Her mind began to wander, imagining what this new 'strato-fighter' would look like. Somehow, she thought it would be fairly large in order to be able to have engines powerful enough to keep it flying at those extreme altitudes, not to mention to store oxygen supplies. She couldn't picture it being small and sleek, like the fighter craft her mother had flown...especially since it was only going after large asteroids as opposed to other fighter craft. Still, it was enough to intrigue her and finally made her succumb to the pull towards the military she had been feeling. Her mother hadn't been overly happy. Her mother...

---------------------------

_Flashback, after the graduation._

"I'm disappointed in you, Blaze. You know how I feel about you signing up for the Air Force. It's not too late; I'm sure you can---"

"What? Go somewhere else? Mom, I'm twenty years old...I'm an adult, and I can make my own choices."

"Yes, I know, but---"

"But what? You're always trying to decide my future for me! Why are you so down on the Air Force? I know you were in the war, I know you were an elite pilot and saw a lot of death...I know you lost friends. You told me about Chopper, and I learned about your squadron leader when I was ten," Blaze sighed,"And I know you lost dad in the war, before I was born..."

Nagase fell silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful. She looked her daughter square in the eyes, an unreadable expression on her face,"I never did tell you about your father, did I?"

"No, you never did. I never really asked, either, because I knew how painful it was...it is for you to speak of him."

"I was..planning on telling you, eventually...and now I think I should."

Kei turned around, leaving the porch of her house where the discussion had started while motioning Blaze to follow her inside. It had always been a tradion of sorts in the Nagase house to discuss important events or topics at the kitchen table, most often with a mug of hot tea or coffee for each member of the discussion. So when Blaze saw that her mother had simply sat down at the round oak table without first preparing either of the drinks, she knew that it was going to be -very- serious. The only other times her mother hadn't prepared a drink like this was when she had given her daughter 'the talk', and when her grandparents had passed away.

"Please sit down," Kei said, indicating the chair across from her.

Blaze took her seat, resting her arms on the table and staring across at her mother. She had never thought of her mother as being old, but the tired look that seemed to dominate her now had aged her considerably. It was the look of someone that had born too much of a burden during her youth, someone who had seen the very worst the world had to offer. Blaze knew her mother was just such a person.

"Your father...was a pilot, like me. Only he flew better...far better than anyone I've ever seen...but you wouldn't have known it at first," she paused, a brief and amused smile crossing her lips,"When we graduated from the Academy, he wasn't the top pilot in the class. In fact, he'd been fairly average," her smile left her,"I think that saved his life...I went to Sand Island first, along with the first pick of the classes...and he came a little later with a smaller group, reassigned as if on a whim. The day after he arrived and was still getting oriented to the base, my training squadron and two of my instructors were shot down and killed. Hans was with your father's group as well, but after the training squadron got shot down we didn't have enough planes for everyone, and he ended up grounded."

Nagase paused for a moment, letting her words sink in before continuing,"He was up with us a day later...it was Jack, Alvin, your father and I...and that's when we saw how well your father could actually fly. Only Jack could really equal him then. When Jack got shot down, we all knew that your father should lead us into the next battle. Call it a gut instinct we all had, but we felt that if he led us we might just come out of the war alive. Your father was honourable, brave, and had a way of keeping our spirits up even when things looked impossible. He had a strong grip on tactics; he knew when we had to concentrate our firepower, and knew when we'd be better served by splitting up and hunting our own targets down. Most importantly, he did his best to see us come home alive."

Nagase's eyes took on a far away look,"I started to fall for your father after just a handful of missions, even if I was only barely conscious of the feelings growing inside of me. I...when I was shot down, I was so angry with myself. I'd vowed to myself to protect him with all my might...and I felt that I had failed miserably. Things seemed hopeless...I spent my time making sure the Yuktobanian patrols couldn't find the chopper crew that had tried to rescue me, leading them away as well as I could...but the net started closing in, the snow making it easier for the patrols to follow me. I kept telling myself that your father would come for me, even as I felt a pit of despair opening up within me," her eyes refocused, staring once more into her daughters' eyes,"When I heard the roar of a jet engine I looked up...and saw it was him. Moments later, Hans and Alvin where there too...they'd come back for me. I shouted his name into my emergency transmitter...and he circled around and must've signalled the rescue helicopter. It was then I turned the tables on the people hunting me. I ambushed them as they came up the slope and held them prisonner..."

"Mom, this is all really interesting...and I know this story has a point to it, that being trying to make me change my mind...and it's really nice to hear that dad was such a good person..."

"Blaze...remember when they finally released all the classified information concerning the Circum-Pacific war? How the media was on our doorstep, trying to get an interview with me to find out more about my squadron? And how they wanted to know more about the pilot that had crashed his jet into the SOLG to stop it from hitting Oured?"

"Yeah..."

"That pilot was your father. What I'm trying to do...is stop you from making a choice that could cause you the same pain it caused me..."

Blaze looked stunned for a moment, leaning back in her chair with wide eyes,"You mean...you mean my father was the one that...?"

Nagase nodded, lowering her eyes for a moment,"I'm sorry I never told you...I wanted to wait until you were mature enough to understand..."

"Wow...I...I never would have guessed...but mom," Blaze began, leaning forward slightly,"There is no more massive war...there are a few hot zones in the world with high tension, but the governments of the world are cooling them down slowly but surely. There hasn't been a combat-related death in years...you don't have to worry about me..."

"I know that, in my mind...but in my heart I still worry. You are my daughter, and I guess even though you're grown up I still want to protect you..."

"Mom...everyone has to stand up on their own, eventually..."

_End Flashback_

------------------------------------------

The thought still made her head spin. Her father, the famous (or infamous, depending on your view), heroic pilot that lead the squadron the Yuktobanians had dubbed 'Razgriz'. The pilot with the callsign 'Blaze'. At least now she had an idea as to why her mother had given her such a...well, boyish name. Just because she understood, didn't mean she liked it very much.

"Couldn't she have named me Jenny, or Allison?" she mumbled, still watching the clouds below. She felt a sudden dull pain on the back of her head, making her sit up and turn sharply to locate the source.

Behind her, her arm dangling over the seat, was another girl of roughly Blaze's own age. She had short blond hair with purple highlights, predatory green eyes. a smallish but angular nose, and a semi-twisted sneer on her lipstick-less lips. She seemed to be regarding Blaze intensely, as if she was trying to figure something out.

"What the fuck did you do that for?" Blaze snarled, reaching a hand up to rub the back of her head where, obviously, she had been flicked.

"Just wanted ta see if your head was hollow or not," the girl returned, a faint accent in her voice...one that sounded almost Belkan,"I don't want someone freakin' out in the air with me, an' with you talkin' to yourself I was wonderin' if I'd have ta chuck ya off the plane to save myself a bit 'o trouble in the future."

The twisted sneer turned into a predatory grin as Blaze grit her teeth. She managed to calm herself, staring the girl squarely in the eyes,"Mind your own business you Belkan bitch. If I want to mumble something to myself, I'll damn well do it."

Now it was the other girls turn to look angry for a moment, before her grin returned and she chuckled,"Better be careful what ya say, princess, or you may lose some of your teeth," the girl leaned back into her seat,"Still, shows you got a little spirit, maybe I can deal with ya in the air after all. Name's Aloisia Amery, I'm from North Osea...or, if you'd rather, South Belka," she said with with a teasing wink.

Blaze calmed down a bit herself, and although she really didn't care for the other girl it would be rude for her not to give her own name,"Nagase Blaze."

Aloisia's eyes seemed to nearly pop out of her head,"Did you say Nagase? As in related to Nagase Kei?"

"Yes, she's my mother..."

"YOUR mother is Nagase Kei? THE Nagase Kei? As in Edge from the Razgriz Squadron?"

"Yes--"

"Wow. That's some legacy you gotta live up to, Blaze."

"I don't remem--"

"I mean, your mother kicked total ass during the last big war, and you're gonna get compared to her at every turn. I really wouldn't want to be in your shoes."

"Would you let me--"

"I can't believe the daughter of Nagase Kei is such a prin--"

"WOULD YOU LET ME SAY SOMETHING?!" Nagase finally shouted, before turning a bit red and looking around. Fortunately, the rest of her fellow recruits on the plane seemed to be distracted by their own activities, and thus didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation. Taking a deep breath, Blaze glared at the other girl,"First, I don't remember giving you permission to use my first name. Secondly, yes my mother was a great pilot, but I don't want to be measured up to her...I want to be judged on my own merits. And finally, I really don't like you so just shut up and leave me alone, alright?"

Aloisia seemed taken aback by the small outburst, but smirked after Nagase had finished speaking,"Alright, have it your way. Like it or not, though, you're gonna have to deal with me in the future, princess," said the punkish girl before she leaned back into her seat. She plugged the provided headphones into the jack on the side of her armrest, tuning into one of the music channels provided on the plane and tuning out the rest of the world.

Blaze grumbled under her breath and returned to staring out the window. She knew the girl was right; sooner or later they'd end up working together. It was something she really wasn't looking forward to. As she started to drift back to her own thoughts which had so suddenly been derailed, she noticed that the jet had started to drop in altitude a bit, indicating that their destination was getting close. Her senses, now alerted to this fact, could feel the slight shift in inertia as the jet gradually descended. Nagase could feel a bit of giddiness return, a slight excitement about finally finding out what the secret destination was.

Judging from the water below, and the fact that they were over the Pacific, she hoped that it would be a tropical destination...sure, they wouldn't have much free time to enjoy it...but a few hours leave to a warm, sunny beach would be nice. And they -had- been instructed to pack sunscreen. Blaze at first thought that it was a bit strange that she wasn't told to pack a swimsuit since they'd no doubt be practicing over-water bailout procedures, but her mother had said that the airforce would likely provide a suit. She knew it wouldn't be very flattering, but Blaze guessed that the purpose of staying at the base wasn't about getting a good tan.

------

Sand.

Lots and lots of sand. Sand surrounded by water. Sand with hangars built onto it, with pavement poured onto it, with several barracks, a large mess hall, and a command building built onto it.

Few trees. No place to really spend off hours.

Just sand.

Blaze groaned inwardly. The island was more like a desert than tropical, and so her small hopes of a beautiful tropical getaway were dashed. She looked around, and noted that a few of her fellow recruits looked a bit disappointed as well, while others simply held a look of exceptance. She discovered, thanks to the line they were now being formed into by some friendly non-coms, that including herself there was thirty-two recruits for this program. Sixteen males, sixteen females...she briefly wondered about the gender lines being split so evenly, but she had little time for contempation as Major Thompson arrived via jeep.

He stepped out of the jeep and stood before the line of recruits so everyone could see him. He was dressed in a standard blue Osea airforce uniform, and despite the heat didn't seem to be sweating in the least. He regarded everyone briefly with a smile, before clearing his throat.

"Good afternoon. As you all know, I am Major Johnathan Thompson, as I'm sure you all know. The base commander has assigned me to welcome you to the base. I'm sure most of you are wondering why we would bring you to such a desolate, isolated place. That's because it's just that; isolated. There is a strict no-fly zone over this area for several hundred miles in every direction, and there is no local civilian population here that could give our secret away," he paused for a moment to take a breath, before continuing,"You may also have noticed that the division between males and females is even...this is purely political, as when the program goes public the politicians want it to be seen as not only being vital for the protection of the planet, but also that it presents an equal opportunity for both genders. Personally," he chuckled a bit,"I'd rather have seen program admittance based on skill, not political needs. Fortunately, you are -all- highly skilled; not one of you was below the top ten in your graduation classes," his face grew serious once more,"You have fourty hours to get settled in, recover from your flight, and relax a bit. Starting the day after tomorrow at oh-six hundred, your training will begin. Sergeant MacCloud," he indicated one of the non-coms that had formed them up. He was a tall man, if a bit thin, with goal black hair and sea grey eyes,"will show the males to their barracks. Sergeant DeBois," he indicated another one of the non-coms, a small brunette with cold green eyes,"will show the females to their barracks. The rooms already have their occupants names on their doors; you will be bunking with someone, so get used to the idea of having a roomate."

Blaze chuckled inwardly at the last part; she hoped that her new roomate wasn't a practical joker like her last one. She missed Ronda, and the two guys, Jerry and Garett already. She briefly wondered what they were up to, before mentally berating herself for losing focus. She brought her thoughts to order just in time to hear the Major continue his greeting speech/instructions.

"You're cleared to go to the mess hall for lunch; I'm sure most of you are hungry, and there's also a lounge area within the hall itself for watching tv or playing pool. Go unpack, and spend some time getting used to your new life," he finished, starting to turn away when he suddenly stopped again,"Oh, and by the way. Welcome to Sand Island."

-----

Disaster.

Utter Disaster.

Of all the things that could have happened, this was possibly the worst aside from crashing.

Everything had been going fine until now; the speech made by the Major was well-received, they'd been swiftly separated into groups based on their gender, and lead to the barracks. The barracks itself was nice, and looked to have been built fairly recently...unlike the older, worn building the boys had been led to. The shower facility was communal, as was standard, and looked to be well-equipped. Even the rooms were nice; in fact, they looked nicer than the one she had had at the Academy...everything was perfect until...

"Heya Princess, looks like you 'an me are gonna be bunkmates!"

Groan.

**End Chapter 2.**

Author's notes: Short chapter, I know, but I covered everything I wanted to in it. Next chapter will be longer :) Read and review, please!


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